Hen died

[BK79]

My hen just died on me. My mom put a cup of food out this morning for them to eat at 9:30 am..
I feed them plenty and really well everyday till their stuffed!
Today I had to go somewhere at 11 am and looked at their food bowl and it was empty.
I said ok to myself my mom will come back to put extra food any minute. I came home at 4:00 pm no one is home, and this hen that died was opening her beak and on the ground dieing went inside to make mash and by the time I got out she was dead. I looked her all over and found her bum area(vagina) red and swollen and stretched. What is this?
did she die from those few hours without food? is this a disease?
there was plenty of water.
she was newer and lower on pecking order so maybe she didn't get her piece of breakfast this morning???

 

[SarahInAlaska]

Chickens can go a day or two without food (not that you should, just a fact that they can live.) I highly doubt missing one meal killed your hen. Sounds like infection or disease. Any other odd behavior before today?

 

[nbenevento]

I agree with Sarah, there is no way it died from going one day without food. She had to be sick already or ate something poisonous. How many chickens do you have? Are any of them acting odd? If so, you need to isolate any that are acting sick. Might want to give your coop and run a good cleaning as well. Also, is there not a way you can just let them have free choice on food? I have a gallon feeder that I just fill up every few days.

 

[BK79]

7 hens, 6 left now. I found her at 4:00 pm opening her beak and eyes rolled back to her head dyeing slowly. The part she passes egg from(vagina) was all swollen and red. It looked like something was gonna pass through and couldn't?

 

[BK79]

it wasn't really 1 day without food...more like 6 hours.

 

[BK79]

My hen died from being egg bound. That's why she was stretched in her vent and all reddish.
I didn't know this condition. My first hen to have this problem.